Week 22 "Mission and Method"

Video is normally posted early Sunday Afternoon.

Video Notes: This video "Woe to You" was filmed on location of a number of ruins in Galilee, Israel including the towns mentioned in this passage. It shows the tragic fulfillment of the rejection of the kingdom of God that came near in Christ to deliver and to save. The question we all have to face is what will we do with what we have seen Jesus do and what we have heard him teach? Will be those who respond to the work of the kingdom of God in our midst or among those who try to enjoy the benefits from a personal distance?

Text: This week we’re covering Luke 10:1-24 which contains the detailed and often counter-intuitive instructions for the larger group of 72 disciples Jesus sent out to prepare the way into every “town and place where he was to go.” This passage also contains Jesus’ lament over the unrepentant cities that hits entirely too close to home, the return of the 72 and a point of Jesus adjusting their focus, and concludes with Jesus rejoicing in the Holy Spirit over God’s plan and letting the disciples in on what a blessing it was to be a part of God’s plan.

Other passages to read: There are parallel passages to these pericopes in the other gospels:

·      Instructions and cautions for 72 Jesus sent out only in Luke (v.1-12), but they are very similar to the instructions to the twelve: Matthew 9:37-38 & 10:5-16; Mark 6:7-12; Luke 9:1-6

·      Woe to Unrepentant Cities (v.13-15): Matthew 11:20-24; v. 15 allusion to Isaiah 14:13-15; other Old Testament prophecy against Tyre & Sidon: Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 28; Amos 1:9-10

·      Whoever hears/rejects you (v.16): Matthew 10:40; John 12:44-50

·      The 72 Return with joy (v.17-20): Similar to signs listed in Mark 16:17-18

·      Revealed to children& hidden from the wise…Do you know him? (v.21-22):  Matthew 11:25-27; Mark 9:38-41; John 11:18; 6:44-47; 10:15-16; 17:25-26.

·       Blessed are the eyes that see and ears that hear (v.23-24): Matthew 13:16-17; Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 1:10-12.

Pastor Randy’s Sermon Notes: "Mission and Methods"

1.    The Sent One Sends – Go, and pray for others to go! (v. 1-3)

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:15-18)

• Everyone is empty
• Everyone is lonely
• Everyone feels guilty 
• Everyone is afraid of death

2.    Travel light and stay focused (v. 4)

“Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.”

3.    Seek to bless others and remain content (v. 5-8)

"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.”

4.    Make the invisible Kingdom visible – heal the sick and cast out demons. (v. 9-17)

“Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. 16 "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

5.       Don’t rejoice in anything but the grace of God that writes your name in heaven -- Rejoice in who you are not in what you have done. (v. 17-20)

“The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." 18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

6.       Stay focused on Jesus and be happy and rejoice in the things that He gets happy about. (v. 21-24)

“At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 22 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." 23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

Practical Suggestions for sharing your faith:

• Ask Questions
• Move from the superficial to spiritual
• Move from spiritual to personal
• Invite

Points to ponder: In your study this week, you might want to think about one of these questions:

·       While there is manuscript disagreement over whether there were 70 or 72 disciples sent out, the symbolism in either case is the same. What is it? (Hint= It alludes to at least three things in the experience of the hearer.)

·       Why would Jesus give the same instructions to this larger group as to the twelve?

·       If, “Woe is not a call for vengeance, but an expression of deep regret, ‘Alas’ (cf. 6:24-26).” (Morris, Luke, 201) what is it Jesus regrets in this passage? What does this teach us about God?

·       Why is Nazareth left out of Jesus’ list of unrepentant cities in v. 13-15?

·      How does this passage shed light on the age-old question, “What about those who never heard about Jesus?”

·       In v. 18 Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” When did this fall occur? To what event is Jesus referring?

·         How is our sending and our mission as Christians today similar or different from that of the 72?

·         What does Jesus’ prayer in v. 21-22 teach us about the Father’s will?

Questions to ask ourselves: The following questions are intended to help us move towards greater application of what we learn about Jesus…

·        How much do we pray for God to send more laborers into the harvest? What part should we play in the fulfillment of this prayer?

·       Are we willing to trust God for everything when he sends us out, or do we need time to pack a lot of our “comfort foods” and “comfort things” for the journey?

·       Are we willing to be content with what he provides as we do his works or are we always looking for a better deal?

·       How would these verses of lament (v. 13-15) apply to our situation here in America?

·       What really makes us happy? Are we happier about our victories in life’s battles or who we are in Christ because of his victory? 

Quotes & Commentary:

v. 4 “greet no one on the road”: “…not an exhortation to impoliteness: it is a reminder that their business is urgent and that they are not to delay it by dallying with wayside acquaintances. Eastern salutations can be elaborate and time-consuming.” [Morris, Luke, 199.]

v. 4 “This time…there is a note of real urgency. He knows he will not pass this way again; if people don’t respond to his mission this time, it may be too late. He is the last herald before the great debacle that will come on the nation if they don’t pay attention. If they reject him, there can be no subsequent warning. If they delay, it may be too late.” (N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone, 120)

v. 7 “going from house to house”: This would be trying to upgrade your stay and would be either evidence of discontentment or delaying moving on to the next town.

v. 8 “Eat what is set before you”: “In the area beyond the Jordan to which they were apparently going there were many gentiles and the food offered might not always satisfy the rigorist for ceremonial purity. They were not to be sidetracked into fussiness about food and food laws.” (Morris, Luke, 200)

v.10 Wipe off the dust:  “There was a rabbinic idea that the dust of Gentile lands carried defilement, and strict Jews are said to have removed it from their shoes whenever they returned to Palestine from abroad. The disciples’ shaking of the dust from their feet was a testimony against them. It declared in symbol that Israelites who rejected the kingdom were no better than the Gentiles. They did not belong to the people of God.” (Morris, 180)

 v. 11 The kingdom of God has come near: “Irrespective of outcome, he emphasizes, the message is the same. The kingdom of God has drawn near regardless of whether it is received or rejected. This is because, for Luke, the kingdom of god is historically present in the ministry of Jesus; wherever he is active, the kingdom is being manifested.” (Green, 424) 

v. 13 Woe= an expression of deep regret not primarily a call for judgment. These were the cities that saw most of Jesus’ miracles and heard much of his teaching, enjoying the benefits, but not repenting. We could also say, “Woe to you America!”

Previously on Ponderables:

·         If Jesus had given the disciples power to cast out demons in v.1, then why were they unable to deliver this boy in v. 40? Are there any clues in the parallel passages as to why Jesus was so blunt in his assessment of the generation? They were trying to do it in their own strength. It doesn’t take long before we think the Jesus’ power working through our lives has become our power independent of Jesus. This is not the case. Our belief always needs to be in Jesus, not in our own ability and gifting. We are not commissioned to be autonomous from Jesus Christ, but dependent upon him. 

·         What would help them to understand Jesus words in v. 44? In what way were they concealed? Their paradigm of messiah was too rigid and not biblical enough. This was an area for them that was like the hard-packed path in the parable of the sower. They just didn’t receive the idea. Later, the resurrection appearances of Christ and especially the one on the road to Emmaus, are in effect, Jesus reminding his followers that this really had been his plan all along.

·         How could someone be casting out demons in Jesus’ name in v. 49 when the disciples had just failed to do the same? He apparently believed Jesus’ had authority to deliver people and so in acts of compassion (and in a spirit of faith and prayer) he ministered this deliverance to people in need.  

·         Why did James and John get so angry over the Samaritans’ failure to show hospitality? They had just seen Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah and heard God tell them that Jesus was his son and were certainly offended on his behalf. They also would have remembered Elijah’s calling down fire from heaven on the soldiers seeking to arrest him. However, Jesus’ ministry model doesn’t operate by force and power of judgment, but by bold love, overwhelming grace, and risky humility.

·         Jesus’ answers in v. 60-62 may seem harsh outside of their cultural context. You may want to take time to investigate this issue further. Is there any political statement included here? It is quite possible that “foxes have holes” refers to Herod whom Jesus refers to elsewhere as “that fox Herod.” The phrase “the birds of the air” generally refers to Gentile nations and here the most likely candidate would be the Romans whose imperial standard was the eagle. In essence he was telling the one who offered to follow him that within the ruling political structures there was comfort and security but in following him there was no guarantee of even a roof over your head or a bed to sleep on.